Easy Peach Freezer Jam Recipe with Fresh Peaches

Make this easy peach freezer jam recipe with fresh summer peaches! This beginner-friendly recipe requires no canning and keeps that bright, fresh peach flavor.

When peach season rolls around, I try to put up as many as I can while they are ripe, sweet, and easy to find. Some are canned, some are sliced and tucked into the freezer, and at least a few always become jars of homemade peach jam. 

This homemade peach freezer jam recipe is one of my favorite ways to preserve them because the peaches aren’t actually cooked. That means you keep so much of that bright, fresh peach flavor instead of ending up with something that tastes completely different from the fruit you started with.

It is also incredibly simple to make.

If traditional jam-making or canning feels a little intimidating, freezer jam is a great place to start. You don’t need a water bath canner, you don’t have to worry about sealing jars, and the whole cooking portion takes just a few minutes.

If you have a big peach harvest to work through, you can also learn how to preserve peaches by canning and freezing them for later.

What is Peach Freezer Jam?

Freezer jam is different from traditional canned jam because the finished jars aren’t processed in a water bath canner. Instead, the jam sets at room temperature and is then stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

Another big difference is that the fruit stays fresh.

With this recipe, the peaches are finely chopped and mixed with sugar and lemon juice. The pectin is cooked separately with water and then stirred into the peaches. This gives the jam its thick, spreadable consistency without cooking away that fresh peach flavor.

The result is a bright, sweet jam that tastes remarkably close to biting into a ripe peach.

Do You Have to Peel Peaches for Freezer Jam?

Nope!

You certainly can peel your peaches if you prefer, but I usually don’t bother when I’m making freezer jam.

I run the peaches through my food processor until they are finely chopped and almost smooth, leaving just a few little chunks behind. The food processor chops the skins finely enough that they blend right into the jam.

Leaving them on saves quite a bit of prep time, adds a little extra nutrition, and gives the finished jam some beautiful color.

If you prefer a completely smooth jam or don’t like the texture of peach skins, though, go ahead and peel them first. Either way works.

How to Make Peach Freezer Jam

Peach Freezer Jam Ingredients

You only need a handful of ingredients for this recipe:

• 3 cups peaches, about 6 medium peaches, pitted and halved
• 4 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¾ cup water
• 1 ½ packages Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin
• 4 half-pint freezer-safe jars (or pint jars, your preference)

One thing I will mention here is that jam isn’t the place to dramatically reduce the sugar in a recipe. The amount can look surprising if you haven’t made homemade jam before, but sugar works alongside the pectin to help the jam set properly.

If you want to make a genuinely low-sugar version, use a pectin specifically formulated for low- or no-sugar recipes and follow the instructions provided with that product rather than simply cutting the sugar in this recipe.

Peach Freezer Jam Recipe Instructions

STEP ONE: Prep

Start by removing the pits and stems from your peaches. You can peel them at this point if you’d like, but as I mentioned above, I usually leave the skins right where they are.

STEP TWO: Chop

Place the peaches into a food processor and pulse until they are very finely chopped. I like mine almost smooth but with a few small pieces of peach still mixed throughout. You aren’t trying to turn them completely into juice.

STEP THREE: Mix & Sit

Transfer the chopped peaches to a large bowl, add the sugar, and stir everything together well. Let the peach mixture sit for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This gives the sugar time to dissolve into all of those peach juices.

Before moving on, give the mixture a little taste or rub a tiny bit between your fingers. If it still feels very grainy, stir it again and give it a little more time.

If the sugar is being particularly stubborn, you can gently warm the peach mixture over low heat just until it dissolves. You don’t want to bring the peaches to a boil. Remember, keeping that fresh peach flavor is one of the things that makes freezer jam so good.

STEP FOUR: Heat & Stir Pectin

While the peaches and sugar are resting, whisk the water and pectin together in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and allow it to boil for one minute while stirring constantly.

Remove the pectin mixture from the heat and immediately stir it into your peaches.

Keep stirring for another 3-5 minutes. You should notice the mixture beginning to thicken as everything comes together.

STEP FIVE: Add to Jars

Spoon the jam into clean, freezer-safe jars, leaving about ½ inch of headspace at the top. That extra room is important because the jam will expand as it freezes.

Wipe the rims clean, put the lids on, and leave the jars at room temperature for 24 hours to finish setting.

After that, they’re ready for the refrigerator or freezer.

Start With Good Peaches

This recipe is simple enough that the peaches really get to be the star, so use good ones if you can.

The sweeter and riper your peaches are, the better your freezer jam will taste.

If you bring home peaches that are still a little firm, don’t rush into making the jam. Let them sit on the counter for a day or two first. You want peaches that smell wonderfully peachy and have some give when you gently press them, without being bruised or mushy.

This is also a wonderful recipe for using those peaches that have gotten just a little too ripe for eating out of hand. As long as they haven’t spoiled, those extra-sweet, juicy peaches can make fantastic jam.

How Long Does Peach Freezer Jam Last?

Once the jam has set, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 year.

That’s one reason I like using half-pint jars. Once I thaw one, we can usually work through it pretty easily before opening another.

When you’re ready for a frozen jar, move it into the refrigerator and let it thaw there. Once thawed, keep it refrigerated and use it within about three weeks.

And make sure you’re using jars or containers that are actually freezer-safe. You don’t want to lose a jar of perfectly good peach jam to cracked glass! A good rule of thumb is to avoid jars with shoulders. Opt for wide-mouth jars instead and don’t fill them completely to the top. The jam will expand when frozen so give it a little space to do so. 

What to Do With Peach Freezer Jam

Obviously, this is delicious spread across a warm biscuit or piece of homemade bread, but don’t stop there.

We use homemade jam on toast, pancakes, waffles, English muffins, and peanut butter sandwiches. You can spoon it over vanilla ice cream, swirl it into oatmeal or yogurt, or add a little to a bowl of cottage cheese.

It also makes a simple homemade gift. A jar of peach jam with a loaf of fresh bread is the kind of gift that doesn’t have to be fancy to be special.

Freezer Jam vs. Canned Peach Jam

If you’re new to food preservation, it’s important to know that freezer jam and shelf-stable canned jam are not interchangeable.

This particular recipe is intended for refrigerator or freezer storage. Putting the jam into a canning jar and tightening a lid does not make it shelf stable, and this recipe should not be stored in the pantry.

That’s actually one of the reasons freezer jam can be such a great introduction to preserving food.

There is no canner to haul out. There are no processing times to calculate. You’re simply taking something that’s abundant in season and putting it away to enjoy later.

If you have a freezer and a pile of ripe peaches, you can do this.

More Ways to Preserve Fresh Peaches

If you have more peaches than you know what to do with right now, don’t stop at jam!

I like to preserve peaches several different ways so that I’m not opening the freezer or pantry to 30 jars of the exact same thing later in the year. Peach slices are wonderful to have on hand for cobblers, pies, smoothies, oatmeal, and desserts, while jam gives us something completely different to use.

Related: How to Preserve Peaches: Canning & Freezing Peaches for Beginners

Between canned peaches, frozen peach slices, and a few jars of freezer jam, you can stretch a few weeks of peach season into months of homemade food.

And that, to me, is what food preservation is really about.

You don’t have to preserve hundreds of pounds of food or fill an entire cellar to make it worthwhile. A few jars here and a few freezer bags there add up quickly, and every one of them is something you won’t have to buy later.

More From The Homemade Household

This peach freezer jam recipe is one of the recipes from my The Homemade Household cookbook.

I don’t share every recipe from the book here on the blog, but I do like sharing a few favorites so you can actually see the kind of recipes you’ll find inside.

The Homemade Household is all about making more of the things your family uses every day right at home. It isn’t about making life harder or insisting that everything has to be made from scratch. It is about having the recipes and know-how available when you want to make it yourself.

If you enjoy practical, simple recipes like this one, you’ll find plenty more inside.

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